The SNP have lost patience with Fergus Ewing - at last

Lorna Slater has been subjected to a barrage of Conservative attacks in recent months as the Tories seek to deflect criticism of Westminster's duplicitous role in undermining the Scottish deposit return scheme. The Conservative motion of no confidence is the latest episode in Tory attempts to turn blame on to the Scottish Government.

Frankly, it's about time that Fergus Ewing lost the SNP whip. He has been detached from the values of a modern progressive centre left party for years and in his recent contributions to Holyrood debates he has proven himself to be an attention seeking ally of the Scottish Conservatives.

It's only his belief in Scottish independence that distinguishes him from yer actual Tories. Fergus Ewing is the very definition of a Tartan Tory and as the SNP faces a Labour party which fancies its chances of taking seats from the SNP, it is all the more important for the SNP to assert its centre left and progressive credentials.

However, by joining in a Tory motion of no confidence against a Scottish Government minister Fergus Ewing crossed an important line. He was the only SNP MSP to vote with the Tories, Labour, and the Lib Dems, and did so despite reportedly being warned beforehand that doing so was incompatible with remaining part of the SNP group at Holyrood and would result in the removal of the party whip.

Many of us have had no confidence in the antedilevian views of Fergus Ewing for a very long time. He has long been an embarrassment to the SNP. Not only has he spoken out in favour of fracking and for continuing to develop new oil and gas fields in the North Sea, the climate be damned, he also opposed the abolition of fox hunting, voted against equal marriage, and abstained when Holyrood voted to abolish the grossly homophobic Section 28 legislation introduced under the Thatcher government.

Another Keir Starmer U-turn

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Keir Starmer has U-turned on his previous pledge to abolish the House of Lords. A commitment to the abolition of the Lords was a key plank in Starmer's programme during his bid to become the Labour leader.

However, that promise has now reportedly been binned along with Starmer's promise to abolish student tuition fees and his claim that he would defend freedom of movement after the UK left the EU.

Starmer has now revealed plans to appoint dozens of new Labour peers to the House of Lords in order to dilute the large majority which the Tories possess in the unelected upper chamber.

READ MORE: Fergus Ewing 'set to lose party whip' after vote against Lorna Slater

Starmer's solution to a bloated undemocratic legislature stuffed full of party cronies is to bloat it yet further. This is because the Labour response to the Conservatives traducing democracy is for the Labour party to traduce democracy as well. Voting Labour doesn't mean a change from Tory policies and malpractices, it just means more of the same. That's a message that the SNP needs to hammer at the doorsteps in the lead up to the next General Election.

SNP constitution spokesperson Tommy Sheppard said: "You simply cannot believe anything Starmer says."

Labour is back to its hoary old trick of promising jam tomorrow, only when you look at the fine print that turns out to be a promise to set up a committee to look into the possibility of jam at some unspecified point in the future and then to do a U turn on even that promise which has been watered down to the point of meaninglessness.

Stephen Flynn leader scolded by Speaker for telling the truth

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn was cautioned by the speaker during Prime Minister's Questions today after suggesting Rishi Sunak had not been honest about Britain's economic position. The exchange came as inflation remains stubbornly high and the Bank of England is reportedly considering yet another hike in interest rates which will add to the pressures felt by mortgage holders. 

Stephen Flynn said: "In February, the Prime Minister told this here house that borrowing costs are back to where they should be. In March, he boasted we're on track to halve inflation by the end of the year. And in May he said economic optimism is increasing. Given the dire economic reality of today, is it not now clear that he's taken his honesty lessons from Boris Johnson?"

READ MORE: Stephen Flynn CAUTIONED by Speaker after questioning Rishi Sunak's honesty

Johnson was found last week to have repeatedly lied to Parliament about lockdown busting parties at Downing Street, one of which was attended by Rishi Sunak and resulted in the current Prime Minister being fined by the Metropolitan Police. Sunak repeatedly defended Johnson right up until the latter's position became untenable.

Sunak has cowardly refused to make any statement about the report of the Privileges Committee into Johnson's lies, a dereliction of duty from a Prime Minister who came into office promising to restore "integrity, accountability and professionalism" to government but who since then has tried to act as though the previous 13 years of Conservative rule have nothing to do with him.

Before the SNP leader could ask his follow up question the Speaker Lindsay Hoyle intervened to say: "Can I just say I want people to be a little bit more cautious as to what they say. This is the presence of the Prime Minister, there was a danger that it could be misled in the way it was put."

But the reality is that Sunak dissembles and misleads as much as the Boris Johnson he enabled for years, he's just less blatant about it.